El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting Ousted From Office

During Ray Nutting's sentencing on six misdemeanor charges stemming from loans received for the purpose of getting bailed out of jail, Judge Timothy Buckley ordered Nutting to vacate his County Supervisor seat for District 2.

Buckley also sentenced him to three years of probation and 30 days of community service.

County and state prosecutors argued that California’s Political Reform Act requires that Nutting lose his seat for official misconduct. According to a statement released by El Dorado County D.A. Vern Person, Nutting could have avoided prosecution if he had agreed to resign from office, but he rejected the deal.

Nutting's lawyer David Weiner said they will appeal not only the misdemeanor convictions but also the ruling that Nutting must leave office.

Nutting was facing three felony counts resulting from undeclared income for a brush clearing project on the 240 acre family range in Somerset, CA but a jury acquitted him of those charges on May 14. His board colleagues voted to ask the trial judge to determine if Nutting’s misdemeanor convictions legally required his removal. Nutting’s current term runs through 2016.